ric lang

I rarely comment on this site, but this entry demands a comment, the last of which is beyond belief, and one that only a non pilot would make. !. Climb OVER a storm??? If approaching a fully developed thunderstorm, unless you're in a U2 or SR71, you'll NEVER outclimb it, and to say "turning around wouldn't have helped" is the most idiotic remark I have ever heard. The 180 degree turn is the safest maneuver in aviation.

You people have it all wrong! I've said it before & I'll say it again. I will NEVER ride an RJ again because of the Clearasil fumes coming from the flight deck not only make me sick, but probably affect the "pilots" mental capability as well.

Horrible service? Rickenbacker was right on the money! He didn't paint the planes because there was no profit in flying 1000 pounds of paint, & signs in OPS read" We're paid to fly passengers, not gas" & yes there were LOTS of personnel strife, which is what happens when there are 2 unions in the cockpit, the ALPA & the IAM, There will always be those who cannot ever be satisfied, but to me, EAL WAS A GREAT AIRLINE, & I hated it when it was broken up by the SOB Lorenzo.

Nostalgia? I remember (before Lorenzo) opening the galley door bar & letting the kids up front in the sevens we flew then, then having to stop at ATL to pick up more stews to serve the evening meal on the MIA/ORD runs...ORD was brand new then....Also, was proud to be with EAL, it was a pilot's airline....If EAL missed an approach, no one else tried it. And the Connies, absolutely the best panel airplane ever made.

It's spelled THULE. I spent a year on BW-8 (Sondrestrom) a SAC refueling base, 600 guys freezing their asses off.....remember spending 14 hours on the line trying to change a landing light on a c-47 with thems @ 55 below.

OH, almost forgot.....On the ORD SGF segment, the pilot came on the box and told all pax in rows 1 through 7 that weigh over 250 pounds to change seats with skinny folks in the rear due to a W&B problem. REALLY????????

Really? OK, here's my problem with RJs....#1: The Clearasil fumes coming from the flight deck/cockpit makes me ill #2: I've probably got more time in inside loops than these drivers have in cross country #3: It's difficult to sit in a seat 14 inches wide when your neighbor weighs 300#, and takes over the armrest & then places his leg into your space. Just sayin!